CHAPTER XVIII 



SOCIAL LIFE OF THE GARDEN CITY 



"A small house, 

 A large garden, 

 A few dear friends, 

 And many books." 



THE ideal condition for an interesting and whole- 

 some society, it seems to me, is a community 

 where there are enough neighbors, but not too 

 many; where neighbors are near enough, but not too 

 near ; where an approximate equality of fortune exists, 

 so that there are no wide gulfs to be bridged; where 

 the people, though diversified in race, religion and com- 

 mercial pursuits, are, nevertheless, united by a common 

 interest and enthusiasm, lending a certain fervor to 

 their lives. If these are sound principles, then the 

 garden city offers ideal soil for their planting and culti- 

 vation, and invites us to the consideration of forms of 

 social life which hold out the most charming possi- 

 bilities. 



As to this, there is really no question, for if any 

 side of the garden-city experience has been thoroughly 

 tried out and demonstrated it is the social side. It 

 offers a striking contrast to lonely country life on the 

 one hand, and crowded city life on the other, striking 

 a happy medium in which the advantages of both are 

 nicely blended and their drawbacks largely avoided. 



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